Smiling Putin is reunited with his ‘old friend’ President Xi as the pair meet to discuss bringing down the West and opposing US-led democratic world order
* Group expected to put aside difference to discuss terrorism threats, in Astana
* The SCO group was set up in 2001 to discuss security concerns in the region
A smiling Vladimir Putin reunited with his ‘old friend’ Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan on Wednesday for a session of an international group founded to counter Western ‘hegemony’.
‘Russian-Chinese relations, our comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation, are experiencing their best period in history,’ Putin said, reaffirming Russia’s relationship with China.
In his brief opening comments, the Chinese premier called Putin his ‘old friend’ and said Sino-Russian relations were at a ‘high level.’
‘In the face of the turbulent international situation and external environment, the two sides should continue to uphold the original aspiration of friendship for generations to come,’ Xi said.
The pair met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana – a regional political and economic bloc that the two leaders see as a counterweight to US ‘hegemony’ in international affairs.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was set up in 2001 by China and Russia to discuss security concerns in Central Asia and the wider region.
Other members are Iran, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Observer states and dialogue partners include Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13597873/putin-xi-jinping-kazakhstan-sco-summit.html